


Toe-Hold

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: First Time, Humor, M/M, PWP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-06
Updated: 2002-11-06
Packaged: 2017-11-01 07:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/353653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clark helps Lex out of a tight spot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Toe-Hold

## Toe-Hold

by Diana DeShaun

<http://www.geocities.com/ddeshaun/index.html>

* * *

Toe-Hold  
By  
Diana DeShaun 

"Hello?" 

"Mrs. Kent? Lex Luthor, here. I'm sorry to bother you so late...." 

"Oh no, no." Martha Kent stifled a yawn as she sat up in bed. "Don't worry about it, Lex. What can I do for you?" 

"Um, actually... I was wondering if maybe Clark could come over." 

"Now? I don't really know, Lex. It is awfully late - " 

"Mrs. Kent, please. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. The truth is, I'm alone in the castle and I have a... problem, and I need Clark's help to take care of it." 

"What's wrong?" Martha reached over and turned on the bedside lamp, bringing a muffled curse from Jonathan as he clamped a hand over his eyes. Placing her hand over the mouthpiece, she whispered, "Sorry, Jon," before speaking back into the phone. "Lex, tell me. Is there something wrong?" 

"No - well, yes. That is..." Lex sighed. "Mrs. Kent, the truth is, I'm in kind of a jam, and Clark is just about the only one I trust to get me out of it." 

"Lex," Martha pointedly turned her back on her ferociously frowning husband and whispered, "Do you need me to call a doctor or the police?" 

"No!" Lex denied vehemently. 

Wincing a bit, Martha tilted the receiver away from her ear, only to feel it impact with a solid object before flying out of her hand. 

"Ow! Shit!" Twisting back around, Martha saw Jonathan rolling around on the bed holding his nose. 

"Jonathan! Oh my goodness, are you all right? Let me see! Is it broken? Is it bleeding?" Failing in her attempts to restraint her flailing husband, Martha was relieved when the door flew open and Clark rushed in. 

"Mom! Dad! What's the matter?" 

"Mrs. Kent? Mrs. Kent! Hello!" Hearing Lex's tinny voice from the floor where she'd dropped the phone, Martha tried one last time to restore a bit of order to her evening. Pulling the receiver back up by the cord, she held it a fair distance away, watched Clark attempting to pry his moaning father's hands from his face for another moment then shouted, "Quiet!" 

In the shocked silence that followed, she quickly ascertained that Jonathan was likely to survive the goose egg rising on the bridge of his nose, took a deep, cleansing breath then said soothingly, "Okay, let's all just calm down here." 

"Martha-" 

"But, Mom -" 

"I said," Martha's voice got steely for a moment, "quiet. Jonathan, I'll take care of you in just a moment. Clark, go get dressed while I finish talking to Lex." 

"Lex!" 

A warning look from his mother sent Clark scurrying to his room. With a reassuring pat to Jonathan's shoulder, Martha at last returned to her phone call. "Lex, Clark will be there in a few minutes. You're sure, you don't need anything else?" 

Lex's voice betrayed his confusion about the goings on at the Kent household, but he answered readily enough. "I'm sure. Thank you, Mrs. Kent. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused - if it's okay with you, I'll just put Clark up here for the night when he's... finished." 

With a sidelong glance at Jonathan, Martha agreed, "That's a good idea, Lex." She looked up with a smile as Clark rushed back into the room. "Clark's ready to leave now." 

"Great. Oh, and, Mrs. Kent?" 

"Yes, Lex?" 

"Please have Clark bring the plumbing tools." 

A very short time later, Clark stood in the darkened foyer of Lex's castle, heavy duty plunger propped across one shoulder and his dad's bag of tools slung over the other. Using his x-ray vision, Clark looked around the downstairs rooms that Lex frequented but quickly ascertained that his friend was nowhere around. 

Trotting up the staircase, Clark began a slow scan of the rooms at the top as he stared along the corridor. He paused in front of the door to Lex's bedroom. Even though the door was ajar, Clark decided the courteous thing to do would be to check it the old-fashioned way, so he knocked with the end of the plunger and called softly, "Lex?" 

When there was no answer, he gave the door a nudge and looked inside. Sure enough, no Lex. A quick reversion to x-ray vision showed he wasn't in the adjoining bathroom either. Stepping back into the hall, Clark tried calling again with a little more force behind it. "Lex!" 

This time he heard a muffled response from further down the hallway. "Clark! Is that you?" 

Three doors later, Clark stopped and knocked once again. "Lex, are you in here?" 

"Clark." Lex's voice was thick with relief. "Don't - Don't come in just yet. I need to explain a couple of things first." 

"Huh?" 

"You brought the tools, right?" 

"Um, yeah. Got 'em right here. What's going on, Lex?" Clark manfully fought the urge to just burst in and find out or check with his x-ray vision. 

Silence. 

"Lex?" 

Nothing. 

"Okay, Lex. I'm coming in." 

"No! I mean, wait! Just wait." Through the door, Clark could hear Lex take a deep breath. "Okay, it's like this. I have this slight problem, and, and... you're the only person I trust not to let it get out." 

"What problem, Lex?" Clark was getting frustrated. 

"I trust you, Clark. I mean, I really trust you. Okay?" 

"And?" Clark prompted, his forehead now pressed against the door. 

"And... I was... I mean, I don't know how... Oh hell! Just come on in, Clark." 

"Finally!" Clark transferred the plunger to his other hand and opened the door. He stepped inside and... "Lex?" 

"Yes, Clark." 

"You're in a bathtub." 

"I am." 

"A really big bathtub with... a whirlpool?" 

"Correct again. The thing is - " 

"Lex! You're in the bathtub." 

"Clark! I know that!" 

Shaking his head, Clark tried to focus on something besides the man currently sitting neck-deep in green tinged bubbles. The room was in a shambles. Darkly fragrant water was sloshed all over the floor with stray bits of foam floating defiantly here and there. An empty bubble bath box lay against the far wall, its soggy cardboard incongruous against the elegant bath towels that hung there. 

It was a definite grade-A mess. Which in no way explained why Lex had called Clark over at - Clark darted a look at his watch - two o'clock in the morning. Dropping his tools, Clark carefully shut the door. With a little smile playing across his face, he slowly began to advance on his friend. "So what, Lex," he began, "you needed me to scrub those hard - ulp!" 

Clark's feet hit a particularly soapy spot on the marble floor, and his arms flailed in an attempt to regain his balance. Failing utterly, he found himself being propelled towards Lex a lot faster than he'd been intending. "Hey!" he yelped, finally succumbing to the pull of gravity and landing flat on his back to slide up against the side of the tub. 

"Clark!" Lex seemed to be intent on drowning him as he began to flop back and forth in the water like a big bald fish on a hook. If Lex's aim had been to peer over the side of the tub, he failed. However, he did manage to slosh what seemed like several gallons of water over the side, right onto Clark. 

"Ow! Shit!" Lex's thrashing stopped abruptly, ending the deluge and enabling Clark to sit up gingerly, wiping the water out of his eyes and slicking back his dripping hair. The water really did smell good, he noted idly, and it really was a nice shade of green, but still... "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" 

"No, not really. Sorry," Lex looked contrite. "Are you all right?" 

Twitching a droplet off the end of his nose, Clark shook his head. "Could you have gotten me any wetter?" 

Suddenly realizing that the whirlpool movement of the tub had stopped about the time he entered the room, and that, as a consequence, the bubbles that had shielded most of Lex's upper torso from view were dissipating, Clark's attention was diverted. With a sigh, Lex reached out of the water, gripped Clark's shoulder, and gave it a little shake. "Clark. Are you hurt?" 

"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure. How 'bout you?" 

Briefly, Lex found himself fighting the urge to tug Clark forcefully into the water. Instead, he took a minute to simply enjoy looking at the boy looking at him. No doubt about it, Clark was hot, even wet \- especially wet. And, the frank interest in Clark's eyes as they traveled slowly down the length of the tub, lingering on the knee that poked above the surface... 

"God, Lex," Clark's voice seemed to have dropped an octave, "you're really... " 

"Mmmm. I mean, what?" 

Turning his attention back to Lex's face, Clark opened his mouth to speak. He seemed to realize that Lex's hand was still on his shoulder and abruptly forgot whatever he'd been about to say. Manfully, he tried again, "You're, you're -" 

Leaning as close as he could, Lex spoke in a low, intimate tone, redolent with warm amusement. "Most people bathe in the nude, Clark. Surely, that doesn't shock you." 

With an audible gulp, Clark found himself staring into Lex's cool, blue eyes. "Shocked? Um, no..." he whispered, then with a visible effort, he sat back and said in a stronger voice, "I mean, no! Lex, you're not just naked, you're green!" 

"What? Oh," Lex lifted his hand from Clark's shoulder and gazed at it ruefully, "that. Yeah, I am." 

Clark nodded slowly. "So you're, um, legs and... things are probably green too. Your knee is at least." Clark indicated the smooth green bump in the otherwise smooth surface of the water. 

Lex closed his eyes. "No doubt." 

"And you're -" 

Incredulous, Lex's eyes snapped open. "Yes, Clark! My dick has no doubt defected to the Green Party as well." 

With a snort of exasperated humor, Clark shook his head, slinging glistening green droplets in a spatter pattern on Lex's face. "Would you let me talk? I was going to say 'And you're still in the water because?'" 

"Oh." Mollified, Lex shrugged. "Actually, that's why I called you over." 

"Yes?" 

"I seem to be a little... stuck." 

"Stuck? But Lex," Clark began to look more closely at the tub, "how could you be stuck? That is one huge tub. Why, I'll bet I could get in there with you and we'd still..." Turning a dull red, Clark winced as he reviewed his words. "I mean - " 

"Clark, I certainly know better than to think that you would ever have... designs on me. I don't want you to explain it away or try to fix it so it doesn't sound so suggestive. I happen to find suggestive comments very amusing. Hell, I love suggestive comments, especially when they're totally unexpected. God knows I'd never expect one from you." 

Frowning at the sharp tone Lex ended with, Clark grimaced. "You seem kinda unhappy about it to me." 

Lex sighed. "Sorry. I guess I'm just on edge. All I meant to say was that I know you'd never make comments like that on purpose. You're not the type." He chuckled ruefully, "Hell, I'm not your type." 

Not at all sure he agreed with his friend, and certain he was damn tired of being the Smallville equivalent of Beaver Cleaver, Clark pinned Lex with a wide-eyed innocent stare and said, "Though, you know if I did get in there with you, we'd have to figure out where to put our legs. I mean, who would be on top and stuff. I understand some people have a real hard time deciding stuff like that... Lex?" Clark grinned wickedly as his shocked friend started to slide deeper into the water. 

Grabbing the top of Lex's arms, Clark hauled him back upright then frowned. "Lex, you're turning into a prune. A green prune. Why in the heck didn't you at least let the water out?" 

"And freeze to death? I think not. As long as there was water in here, the heat worked. And before you say it, I couldn't eliminate the green and refill with clear water, because, as I may have mentioned before, I'M STUCK!" 

"Okay, okay! Calm down, Avocado Boy. I'm sure we'll have you out in a second. But first," Clark flipped the drain switch with a flourish, "since I'm now here to make sure you stay warm, we have to let the water out." He smiled in satisfaction as the water began flowing away at a brisk pace. 

"Clark." 

"Hm? It'll be just a minute, Lex. Gotta let the water out so I can see..." Suddenly realizing that there wasn't going to be much of Lex he couldn't see, Clark froze, unsure of what he should do or say next. 

"Clark, get me a towel." 

There was no response, though Clark did seem to be fighting a battle with himself to keep from lifting his eyes from the spot where the water was whirling down the drain. 

Sensing his friend's sudden discomfiture, Lex spoke louder, "Clark! Get me a towel." 

With a guilty start, Clark jumped up. "Oh, right. Towel. Sorry." Paying scant attention to personal dignity, he slipped and slid across the room, grabbed a towel, and rushed back to toss it on top of Lex just as the last of the water gurgled away. "Whew! That was close!" 

Meeting Lex's sardonic gaze, Clark shrugged sheepishly, "You could've caught a chill or something. You know?" 

"Well, I didn't, Clark. Thank god you saved me before that... came up." 

Clearing his throat, Clark decided he'd probably made a big enough idiot of himself for one day - or night - and tried to redirect both of their attentions to the problem at hand. Though, actually, he realized, the problem was at foot. Lex's big toe was firmly ensconced in a hole in an elliptical opening in the side of the tub that apparently hid the water inflow pipe. 

Clark began to snicker. "Your toe is stuck. I'll bet it's green too. Like a big fat green bean or, or a garter snake." 

Resigned to patience with the hot and cold running Clark currently reverted to his early adolescence, Lex inclined his head in agreement and ask, "So what do you think?" 

"Think?" Clark laughed harder. "I think I would've been smart enough not to get my toe stuck." 

Giving in to the urge to whop Clark gently upside of the head then leaving his hand there to tangle in the wet locks, Lex said affectionately, "Smart ass. The question is, can you get it out?" 

Laughing, Clark replied, "Sure. Eventually. You don't mind sleeping in here, do you?" 

With a sharp tug on Clark's hair, Lex released it and flipped him off. "Keep it up, Clark. One of these days you'll have an appendage stuck in something, then who will you call?" 

"Lex!" Clark shook with helpless laughter. "If you weren't so young and so obviously clean, I'd call you a dirty old man." 

"Fine." Lex smiled smugly. "You just wait till I get out of here. Speaking of which, get me out of here!" 

"Not till you tell me why you got your toe stuck in the first place." 

"Well, it's like this, Clark. There I was, minding my own business, enjoying my bath when all of a sudden there was this evil..." Knowing his friend wasn't buying the "evil toe fetishist" story for an instant, Lex relented and told the truth. "Okay, the truth is... I don't know." Holding up a warning hand, he continued, "I don't! One minute my toe was just hovering outside the hole, and the next I had this overwhelming urge to stick it in there. It was like a compulsion. Really." He scowled at Clark, who was enjoying the story way too much. "Clark..." Lex growled and tried once again to pull his toe from its hiding place. After a few seconds, he gave up. "Dammit! That hurts." 

"Lex!" Clark sobered immediately. "You said you weren't hurt." 

"I'm not really. It's just - there's a sharp spot just inside the pipe, and when I try to move my toe - " 

"Then stop moving your toe! That's why I'm here, remember?" 

Intent now, Clark studied the situation from every angle. Using his x-ray vision, he determined that the sharp spot Lex could feel was actually a protrusion in the metal. Lex's toe had somehow slid past it on the way in, but sliding out was apparently another matter. 

Unaware of Lex's appreciative attention, Clark chewed his bottom lip as heconsidered and discarded several options. He abandoned all thoughts of using the tools he'd brought when he realized he couldn't saw the pipe off or use some sort of snips, because the body of the pipe was inaccessible. Heat vision was out. It would certainly melt the pipe, but there were too many other things it could melt as well, not the least of which was Lex. 

At a loss, Clark tried to think harder, his hand unconsciously cupping the heel of Lex's foot. 

Finally, he stood up. "Okay, I have an idea, but I'm going to have to get in there with you." 

Lex's mouth twitched as he made an expansive gesture. "My tub is your tub." 

Chuckling, Clark kicked off his shoes and started to climb in, only to stop as something occurred to him. "Lex? We need some butter." 

"Butter?" 

"Well, it doesn't have to be butter, mayonnaise would do, or cooking oil. We need something slick to put around your toe. Hopefully, it will kind of seep inside the pipe and help, well, slick things up a little. I know, do you have any bath oil?" 

"No. I prefer my bath water clear and unsullied." 

At Clark's raised eyebrow, Lex continued defensively, "Okay. I usually prefer it that way. I only had those damned bubbles because... well, I just did, but I have no bath oil." 

"Okay. I guess I'll just go get some butter then." 

"Clark, wait." Lex felt a little flushed. "Look in the drawer under the sink." 

Crossing to the spot indicated, Clark opened the drawer and began to rummage through. His hand stopped abruptly, and he took a deep breath before pulling out a slim tube. "Um, Lex. Is this...?" 

Squaring his shoulders, Lex tried to be flip. "Is what this?" His eyes were glued to the tube as Clark walked slowly back to the tub. "Oh that." Lex waved a hand negligently. "Depends on what you think it is." 

"Lex. I know what it is. I guess I just... I just wanted to know why you had it." 

"Ah." Reaching out, Lex took the container of Slick and turned it over in his hands. 

When there was no further comment, Clark tried again. "Lex, I want to know. Please." 

For a moment, Clark thought Lex would tell him it was none of his business, but then Lex nodded. "All right, Clark. I'll tell you. I have it there because, in the past, I've had occasion to use it, and I believe in being prepared." 

Sinking to his knees beside the tub, Clark ask slowly, "Your past with Victoria?" 

"No." 

"Your past with... other women?" 

Lex hesitated then said, "No." 

Clark nodded slowly. "I see." 

Lex watched anxiously as Clark stood abruptly. His eyes widened when Clark began to unbutton his shirt. 

"Clark!?" 

With a lop-sided smile, Clark dropped the dripping garment to the floor. "Not supposed to wear shirts in bath tubs, Lex. I'd think you of all people would know that." His hands dropped to the waistband of his jeans, and he looked at Lex. 

Knowing the next move was up to him, Lex said softly, "It's poor etiquette to wear pants in the tub too, Clark. Where are your manners?" 

"Oh, right." Clark grinned bravely and dropped his pants to the floor as well, standing for a moment in his damp boxers. "Thanks for telling me." Stepping carefully between Lex's legs, Clark got into the tub and crouched facing Lex. 

"Clark," Lex's voice sounded strangled as he plucked at the towel in his lap, fluffing it up to better accommodate his awakening cock beneath it. "Fuck it, just cut the damn toe off!" 

"Lex, Lex," Clark said soothingly, leaning forward to put a finger over his friend's mouth. "Just relax. I'm gonna get you out of here." Letting his finger slowly fall away, Clark traced it down Lex's chin to the hollow in the base of his neck, following the movement of Lex's throat as he swallowed convulsively. A moment, two, then Clark smoothed Lex's towel, passing his hand gently over the hardness beneath before tucking the towel carefully around Lex's waist and whirling around to face the captive digit. "Now, let's see..." 

Lex's mouth fell open as he studied the long, sleek lines of Clark's back. Letting his eyes drift over, he visually traced the rounded mounds of Clark's ass, now swaying enticingly just a few inches away. As if sensing Lex's intense interest, Clark's hips seemed to give a little shimmy, and he said, "I'm going to slick you up now, Lex." 

"Oh, God." Lex closed his eyes in self-defense, certain if he looked a second longer, he'd scream. He almost did anyway, letting out a startled yelp when he felt the cool, silky liquid caressing his foot and toes. 

When the fingers stopped, Lex's eyes snapped open just in time to see Clark absentmindedly wiping the excess Slick on the side of his boxers, creating a wet spot that immediately adhered to Clark's skin. In spite of himself, Lex had to stretch his free foot forward and touch the spot... just so. 

"Hey!" Clark jumped and grabbed at his hip. "You pinched me!" 

Lex held up his hands innocently. "Not me! Both my hands are way up here." 

"Your toes pinched me then. You already told me they have a mind of their own and go where they want to go, remember?" 

"Then it's not really my fault, and I really didn't pinch you." 

"You - oh, brother!" Clark turned back to his task after a warning look at Lex... and his errant toes. 

Positioning himself so that Lex's view of the proceedings were obscured, he spoke over his shoulder, "Okay, Green Lantern. On the count of three, I'm gonna slide a finger inside and try to free your toe. Ready?" 

Bracing himself with his hands on the side of the tub, Lex held up his other foot again. "Do I need to give you something to brace against? My foot is at your disposal." 

"Lex, your foot just wants to pinch my ass again." 

"Why, Clark, you wound me. My foot does not want to pinch your ass... it just wants to press against it. Solely for support purposes, of course." 

"Of course." Clark grinned. "Wouldn't want to slip. Why, I might fall back right into your lap." 

Lex plopped his foot firmly back onto the bottom of the bath tub. "In that case, maybe I'd better not use my foot. If you do fall, I need to be in a position to keep you from hitting your head on the tub." 

Clark nodded, "You're always thinking of my welfare, Lex. Now, are you ready?" 

"Ready." 

"On three. One..." Clark carefully slid a pinkie on each side of Lex's toe. "Two..." Pushing at the edges of the pipe, he widened the opening just enough... "Three!" Lex's toe slid out easily, but Clark reacted to it as if it had popped out like a cork from a wine bottle, and he tumbled backwards to land face-up in Lex's lap. 

"Why, Clark," Lex bent over to study the beautiful face, "it's just like you predicted. You fell backwards..." 

"And you caught me," Clark reached up to hook a hand around the back of Lex's neck. "I knew you would." 

"We catch each other," Lex murmured, allowing himself to be pulled down to close the last bit of distance before covering Clark's smiling lips. 

The kiss was awkward by its very positioning, but neither Clark nor Lex seemed to notice as lips touched, nibbled, then touched again. Increasing the pressure, Clark twisted and began to sit up, intent on the kiss. 

Suddenly, Lex's long dormant muscles protested, and he pulled away with a grimace to clutch at his lower back. "Muscle cramp," he said   
apologetically. 

"Shit, I'm sorry." 

"Do not apologize. In fact, I think the best thing you could do would be to kiss it and make it better, but let's get out of the bathtub first, okay?" 

With a smile, Clark stood and stepped out of the tub, carefully drawing Lex up after him. Neither man noticed that the towel was left behind as Clark began to rub soothing circles along the knotted muscle in Lex's back. 

"Ah... Clark. That feels wonderful." Lex leaned against the taller boy, and both became aware of his naked state. 

"Um, Lex..." 

Assuming Clark was uncomfortable when confronted with the incontrovertible evidence of Lex's interest, Lex sighed, "Now it's my turn to apolo-" 

"You were right, Lex." 

"Huh?" 

"You were right. It's green too." 

"What's green...oh." Sure enough, Lex's cock was the same pale green as most of the rest of him. "So it is." 

Clark began to snicker. "Well, Jolly Green Giant, how 'bout you, me and the Sprout blow this joint?" 

Lex groaned. "I don't know whether to react to the 'sprout' slur or assure you that it's not 'this joint' that I'm going to be blowing soon." 

Clark eyes dilated as he stared at Lex. Suddenly, he grabbed Lex's hand and tugged him from the room, "No more 'sprout' jokes, I promise," he said as they retreated down the hall. 

"Good, I do have a certain dignity to maintain, after all. Even when I'm green." 

"Riiight. How about we just call it the'Jolly Rancher of Love?'" 

"Clark!" 

\--the end 


End file.
